Even Keel Cafe - Day & Night Downtown Delights
Walk down Main Street at 7 a.m. in September, and you’ll see a warm inviting glow eminating from the only place open: Even Keel Café.
 Come closer, and you’ll smell the Carrabassett coffee brewing. Step inside, and you’ll find an assortment of early risers—island residents and visitors and regulars who know this is the place to start the day right. Whether your craving is for a hearty Huevos Rancheros, New England Lobster Benedict, or the sweet pleasure of Hurricane French Toast, Even Keel can satisfy it. Rather start light? Even Keel offers Homemade Granola and Fresh Fruit, Bagels and Bakery Specials. In a hurry? Call in your order for a handy Breakfast Burrito or the mini-omelette with ham, bacon, or sausage and cheese on an English muffin they call an Egg Sandwich, and Even Keel Café will have your breakfast ready to grab and go.
Lunch at Even Keel starts at 11 a.m., an hour before breakfast ends, so you can savor a Tofu Scramble while your companion enjoys Even Keel’s Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap or a classic Soup & Sandwich Special. On Sundays, lunch items are offered along with the full breakfast menu from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. for Brunch.
Because Even Keel serves continuously from 7 a.m. to closing, the coffee is always fresh and hot and food is always available. The café is larger than it appears from the sidewalk. Inside, you can perch at one of their tall counter chairs and watch the busy Even Keel staff cook in the open kitchen or you can relax down at one of their café tables. Behind the restaurant is a spacious bi-level garden patio, with tall trees and whimsical sculpture, surrounded by ivy and flowers. In this private enclave you can soak in some autumn sunshine and get away from it all in the heart of downtown Nantucket.
Though lunch ends at 5 p.m. when dinner begins, several of the lunch entrees and all of the salads continue to be served until closing. The Even Keel Burger makes a tasty dinner and one that will please the kids who are too old to want to order from the Keel’s Children’s Menu...and with french fries it’s just $10.25. There’s also a Wild Alaskan Salmon Burger, and a Garden Burger. Other substantial sandwiches include a Grilled Corned Beef Reuben, Grilled Sea Bass, a classic Lobster Roll and a delicious Lobster B.L.T.
Even Keel has a variety of appetizers that are just the ticket for sharing with friends: Crispy Fried Calamari, Bacon Wrapped Scallops, and Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings. Their Lobster Nachos come highly recommended. A pile of warm, crisp, tortilla chips is topped with diced tomato, sweet kernels of corn, cheddar cheese, goat cheese, and plenty of lobster meat — this a tasty New England version of a southwestern dish. Sides of chilled sour cream, fresh guacamole, and salsa are served alongside.
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Our favorite for sharing is one of the Even Keel Café’s Thin Crust Pizzas. Their Margarita Pizza is topped simply with mozzarella cheese and marinara; the Keel Pizza has spinach, roasted tomato, goat cheese, and mozzarella that melts together lusciously for a sweet and salty flavor sensation. The crust is thin but not brittle and sturdy enough to hold the ample toppings. |
We like the pizza with a Dark & Stormy on the side. This classic mix of Gosling’s Rum and ginger beer is spicy and refreshing, and it’s just one of many beers and cocktails offered at Even Keel. They have a fun array of specialty martinis, including an expertly mixed Espresso Martini, a summery “Nantucket Sunset,” and a “Restless Dragon.” For a special toast, try one of their champagne cocktails: the Nantucket Red or the Sconset Madras. |
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Listed under “Light Bites” is a hearty starter of rich, warm flavors simply called Grilled Beef Tenderloin. Sliced and seasoned, the strips of tender beef are served with sweet caramelized onions and roasted tomato, and topped with a balsamic glaze. It comes with a small side salad, and we love the contrast of light, crisp, cool greens against the warm and robust grilled beef. |
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Even Keel serves eight salads, and we highly recommend the Grilled Wild Salmon Salad for a stunning light summer meal. This is a sensational composition of mixed greens tossed in pomegranate vinaigrette, sweet dried cranberries, crunchy spiced walnuts, crisp carrot, and creamy crumbles of goat cheese. Placed overtop is a perfectly cooked and seasoned filet of salmon hot off the grill. The emphasis is on the salmon, clean, simple, and as fresh as an ocean breeze. The other elements—the fruit, the cheese, the nuts—add bright pops of flavor and appealing texture changes. |
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You can’t go wrong with any of the dinner entrees on the Even Keel menu. For a light and summery entree that is still flavorful and filling, try the Lemon Chicken Primavera. Tossed with linguini are succulent slices of sauteed chicken breast, carrot, zucchini, squash, artichoke hearts, broccoli, onion, and wonderfully sweet roasted tomatoes. Lemon cream sauce sounds rich, but Even Keel manages to offer the flavor without the heaviness. |
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Steak lovers will adore the Steak Gorgonzola with it’s pair of tenderloin medallions, grilled perfectly to temperature, fork tender, and topped with crumbled gorgonzola cheese and drizzles of balsamic reduction. Nestled on one side of the steak is linguini alfredo—on the other a colorful, crisp mix of julienne carrot, summer squash, zucchini, broccoli, and asparagus spears.
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The Wild Salmon Salad was so good that we couldn’t resist sampling their Pomegranate Glazed Salmon entree. The pomegranate and Thai chili glaze has just a spark of heat with its sweet, fruity flavor, and it’s superb on the moist and flaky salmon. The fish arrives perched on a organic brown jasmine rice that has a delicate nutty flavor and is perfect for soaking up the glaze. Like the steak, this entree comes with Even Keel’s julienne vegetable mix. |
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Every evening Even Keel offers special soups, appetizer, and entree, and the evening we dined at The Keel, we tried their Lobster Pasta Special. The aroma is enticing and the first bite does not disappoint! The linguini, roasted baby green and yellow pattypan squash, asparagus, and diced tomato are tossed in a luxurious sherry cream sauce with asiago cheese. And there’s lobster...sweet, succulent, tender, and plenty of it! We’d love to see this dish added to the regular menu. |
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Even Keel offers a tempting selection of cakes and pies for dessert, along with a classic Brownie Supreme. All are indulgent and very good. The Mississippi Mud Pie is a chocolate dream: chocolate cookie crust topped with coffee mousse topped with thick chocolate, all surrounded by whipped cream. |
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Also very good with a wonderful old-fashioned flavor is the Even Keel’s own Bread Pudding. Made with croissants, the thick slice, buttery pudding is full of cinnamon swirls and served with a few sweet drizzles of caramel. |
 If you find yourself too full for dessert, you finish your evening with a warm Mexican Coffee or Nutty Irishman or with a Frozen Strawberry Margarita or Mudslide.
Even Keel Café
www.evenkeelcafe.com
40 Main Street • 508-228-1979 • open year-round
Breakfast daily 7 a.m. to 12 noon Sunday Brunch to 3 p.m.
Lunch daily 11 a.m. to closing
Dinner nightly from 5 p.m.
most Dinner entrees $16.50 to $24.50
(lighter fare also served at dinner priced from $9.75 to $17.75)
Indoor & Outdoor Dining • Full Bar
Children Welcome • Casual Dress • Take-out Available
Amex, Visa, and MC accepted
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